Run for fun, fitness and charity this fall

Kerri Rosalia loves to run. She hits the roads five days a week, training to keep in shape and compete in the occasional road race. The running comes easy these days, she says, but that wasn't always the case for this 44-year-old library director from Manorville.

"When I started a couple of years ago I just tried to make it from one streetlight to the next without walking," says Rosalia. "Eventually, I finished a mile, then two and three. Now I run at least 3.5 miles each time out and even compete in a few races like the Smith Point Bridge 5K Run."

The races, Rosalia says, are fun and provide a way to measure progress - even if you just compete against your own best time.

Fall is a good time to enter a road race because cool temperatures make running easier. Races and "fun runs" can be found to suit any level of fitness or competition. Most serve as fundraisers for charity causes.

If you're new to running, start with a one-mile fun run or 5K race (3.1 miles) and work up to longer, more challenging distances including 5 miles, 10K (6.2 miles) or half marathons. Registration fees typically run $10 to $35. Awards for top finishers are usually distributed by age class.

Here are a few upcoming races to consider:

Empire National Bank Smith Point Bridge 5K Run and Fun Walk

WHEN | WHERE 9 a.m. Saturday, Smith Point County Park, Shirley

INFO 5kbridgerun.communitylibrary.org

COST $25 ($22 advance registration)

Run across Smith Point Bridge and back to support Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library's Family Literacy Project and the William Floyd High School Scholarship Fund. Clifford the Big Red Dog will lead a family "fun walk" at 9:15 a.m.

25th Annual Bethpage Federal Credit Union Ocean to Sound Relay

WHEN | WHERE 8 a.m. Sept. 19 from Jones Beach State Park to Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park, Oyster Bay

INFO 516-349-7646

COST $360-$400 per team. Registration deadline is Sept. 12 (no same-day registration)

Eight-person teams run a 50-mile relay from the South Shore to the North Shore. "I've run over 2,000 races and this is my favorite because you are truly part of a team," says James McDougall, 55, of Ronkonkoma. Benefits the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Tanger Outlets at The Arches 2nd Annual 5K Run/Walk

WHEN | WHERE 8:30 a.m. Sept. 19, 152 The Arches Circle, Deer Park

INFO 631-667-0600, tangeroutlet.com/race

COST $25

Walk or run this route, which circles (naturally) Tanger Outlets to benefit the Babylon Breast Cancer Coalition.

The 33rd Great Cow Harbor 10K Run

WHEN | WHERE 8:30 a.m. Sept. 25, Northport

INFO cowharborrace.com

COST $35 ($25 by Sept. 14); $10 ages 12 and younger

Rated by Runners World as one of the most prestigious foot races in the country, 5,500 participants are expected in the 10K race, plus another 1,000 in the 2K fun run. Runners will trek over rolling hills and through the village of Northport. Enjoy the runner's party afterward. Organizers say a substantial amount of the proceeds benefit Special Olympics Long Island.

Run For the Ridley 5K

WHEN | WHERE 10 a.m. Oct. 23, Main Street, Riverhead

INFO 631-369-9840, riverheadfoundation.org

COST $17 (by Oct. 16)

Race through Riverhead to benefit the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation.